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The Book of Mormon - Page 4

Since joining the Church a little over two years ago I have read the Book of Mormon eight times from beginning to end, have read the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the Old Testament once from beginning to end, and read the New Testament twice from beginning to end, and while I am still spiritually inclined to read the Scriptures frequently I can say that I do not at this time desire to read any of the Scriptures from cover to cover but instead prefer to study the scriptures by topic.

Before joining the Church I had read the New Testament about 4 times, and had actually read the Epistles of Paul and the 4 Gospels separately at least once, but at this time in my life I feel the important thing is to study the scriptures and not just to read them.  I admit that I do not necessarily agree with President Benson's admonition to read the Book of Mormon at least a ½ hour each day but the reason for this is simple.  I do not feel that any length of time reading the Book of Mormon or any of the Scriptures constitutes who we are, what we value or our testimony as Latter-day Saints.  I hear often that if people read the Book of Mormon more often that they will have a stronger testimony.  This is simply not true, the amount of time we read the Scriptures, or how often we read them does not mean anything, it is what we get from them and how we apply what we read to our own lives.  In my opinion this is what is important.

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[quote]I admit that I do not necessarily agree with President Benson's admonition to read the Book of Mormon at least a ½ hour each day but the reason for this is simple.  I do not feel that any length of time reading the Book of Mormon or any of the Scriptures constitutes who we are, what we value or our testimony as Latter-day Saints[/quote]

Pres. Benson's suggestion was to encourage those members who don't read the Book of Mormon to start doing it somehow, I suppose he hoped that after reading a half and hour a person will feel inclined to read even more.

[quote]I hear often that if people read the Book of Mormon more often that they will have a stronger testimony.  This is simply not true, the amount of time we read the Scriptures, or how often we read them does not mean anything, it is what we get from them and how we apply what we read to our own lives.  In my opinion this is what is important.[/quote]

This is very true, I think we should make more emphasis about applying the scriptures in our lives than just rather reading them. By the other hand we cannot reject the testimonies of our leaders (Prophets, etc) who say that if we read the Book of Mormon our testimonies will become stronger, they're our guide and we should follow their suggestions, after all, aren't they inspired by God to admonish people in all things?.

The Book of Mormon Studies Doctrine Mormon

Actually I do reject a time limit, or page requirement to reading the Scriptures.  I do not believe that it is right or proper to teach that someone is inferior in testimony merely because they don't read the Book of Mormon as often as we do, attend the Temple as often as we do, live the Word of Wisdom as often as we do, attend sacrament as often as we do, do Home Teaching as often as we do.  I support the admonitions to read the Scriptures, attend the Temple, live the Word of Wisdom but am not so inclined to listen to intrepretation of what this might mean.  I highly doubt President Benson would have said to attend the Temple at least 30 minutes a day, do your Home Teaching at least 30 minutes a day, pray at least 30 minutes, and 21 seconds a day, but the reason he gave the 30 minute limit was as counsel and guideline and not as a commandment but again being human we have construed it to be a commandment.  Thus in many people's mind it is an commandment that we read the Book of Mormon at least 30 minutes a day, and this is not so.  Anyone can read the Book of Mormon at least 30 minutes a day and gain nothing from it.  

I ask one simple question: "How does it feel to be told in a sacrament meeting, we should read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day" and you only read it 20 minutes a day.  What is your first thought if you are not strong in the faith.  The answer is quite simple, you believe that the person who reads the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day and then throws it on the floor and doesn't think about it until the next time he picks it up is more worthy then you who contemplate the scriptures, and ponder it.  You thus in your mind feel that the value of your testimony and of your membership is based on numbers.  I have seen people get up and leave during Priesthood because of statements made by members of the Church about less actives.  

What would someone who had been inactive for a year think coming to Sacrament the first time and being told that he is not worthy because he doesn't read the scriptures frequently enough.  It is hard enough to live the commandments of God and to strive for perfection then to have someone arbitrarily set a standard.  What about this, you must attend church at least 35 Sundays a year to be worthy or to be living the counsels of the President.  Rather deliberate or not the members of the Church tend to misintrepret the teachings of President Benson.

"I have noted within the Church the difference in discernment, in insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not. That book is a great sifter." (The difference lies in those who know and love the Book of Mormon and not between those who read it for 30 minutes a day and those who don't)

"The test for understanding this sacred book is preeminently spiritual. An obsession with secular knowledge rather than spiritual understanding will make its pages difficult to unlock."  (I would just as easily tend to say that the key to understanding the Book of Mormon is spiritual and not the amount of pages you read)

In short I am against any statement by any member that implies that the frequency of an activity is what determines rather we are abiding by the counsel of the Prophet.  I believe that President Benson counseled that we should read the Book of Mormon because we want to know and love it, not beecause we have a time limit to meet.  Hey, if that is what he meant I am sure many people are happy in that they would set the alarm for 30 minutes, and it beeps they abruptly close it having fulfilled their duty.  Probably didn't even finish the sentence.

I have trouble with false spirituality, I believe it to be inherently wrong to display ourselfs for aggrandisement....  If someone tells me that they have read the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes each day, I say good and that means exactly what.  That you read it for 30 minutes a day.  It means nothing more then that.  I am not going to judge you or not based on rather you read it or not.  I don't judge people if they smoke, I don't judge people if they drink, I don't judge people if they don't read the Book of Mormon, I don't judge people if they don't Home Teach, etc.  Let them do as they will and the Lord will know in secret what they do.

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[quote]Actually I do reject a time limit, or page requirement to reading the Scriptures.  I do not believe that it is right or proper to teach that someone is inferior in testimony merely because they don't read the Book of Mormon as often as we do, attend the Temple as often as we do, live the Word of Wisdom as often as we do, attend sacrament as often as we do, do Home Teaching as often as we do.[/quote]

I agree with this statement, however, I don't think that is what we do.  I don't think we say, if you don't read the BOM 30 minutes a day you are not as good as I.  If a member, takes the suggestion of reading the BOM 30 minutes a day to mean that they are not as good as me if I do it and they don't that is their problem.  We often convict ourselves with our conscience, but we can't fault someone else for our own application of guilt.
 
[quote]What would someone who had been inactive for a year think coming to Sacrament the first time and being told that he is not worthy because he doesn't read the scriptures frequently enough. [/quote]

I was inactive for 12 ½ years.  When I decided to come back, I knew I had not been living my life worthily.  I knew I had a lot of work to do in order to become what Heavenly Father needed me to become.  What I needed to hear from the pulpit was what should I be doing, what should my goals be, not it is o.k. we love you don't worry about how you live as long as you are good in your heart.  Fact is, if we don't strive to live righteously, our hearts will change to reflect how it is we are living.

I don't think we are being told we are not worthy.  We are being told that we all have room for improvement.  None is perfect.  We should not set the bar at the ability of the lowest, but all should be striving to do better.  If you only read 5 minutes a day now, I think it would be a good goal to increase that amount in the future.  If you read 30 minutes now, maybe a good goal is to do more studying from Institute manuals, etc., to learn more about what you are reading.

One very important thing that I think you and I do not agree upon is I believe if you don't read it at all, you can not keep as strong a testimony as someone who reads it regularly.  I am, of course, referring to those who read it with an honest attempt to apply it to their lives.  :)

One must actively work to keep a testimony.  If we don't regularly attend our meetings, pay our tithing, regularly, attend the Temple (as distance allows), and regularly read and ponder (study) the scriptures we will lose our testimony of their truthfulness.

[quote](The difference lies in those who know and love the Book of Mormon and not between those who read it for 30 minutes a day and those who don't)[/quote]

If you haven't read it, you can't possibly know and love it.  If someone has never read through the BOM, then there is no way they truly know it.

So, I do agree that it isn't important to spend a particular amount of time each day reading from the BOM or any other scripture.  However, I do believe it is important to spend some amount of time each day reading from them.  Some days I can spend 30 - 60 minutes.  Some days, I only read one chapter and sometimes only one verse.  By reading at least some each day, I maintain the habit of daily scripture reading, which I think is essential.  

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[quote]Actually I do reject a time limit, or page requirement to reading the Scriptures.  I do not believe that it is right or proper to teach that someone is inferior in testimony merely because they don't read the Book of Mormon as often as we do,[/quote]

I never heard any leader of the Church saying that we are going straight to hell if we don't read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day, did you?.

[quote]Thus in many people's mind it is an commandment that we read the Book of Mormon at least 30 minutes a day, and this is not so.  Anyone can read the Book of Mormon at least 30 minutes a day and gain nothing from it.   [/quote]

I heard people reading the book of Mormon 30 minutes a day because of the suggestion of Pres. Benson but I never met anybody who think is a commandment. Maybe that's your interpretation about it when you hear people saying they do read it every day for 30 minutes.

[quote] I ask one simple question: "How does it feel to be told in a sacrament meeting, we should read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day" and you only read it 20 minutes a day.  What is your first thought if you are not strong in the faith.  The answer is quite simple, you believe that the person who reads the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day and then throws it on the floor and doesn't think about it until the next time he picks it up is more worthy then you who contemplate the scriptures, and ponder it.  You thus in your mind feel that the value of your testimony and of your membership is based on numbers.  I have seen people get up and leave during Priesthood because of statements made by members of the Church about less actives.   [/quote]

I would personally not take it as personal as it seems you took it. We hear every sundays suggestions from our Church leaders, home teaching, visiting teaching...sometimes I didn't complete my visiting teaching assignments but I don't allow myself to feel guilty or sorry for myself! what I do is do is the best I can and set a goal that no matter what I would do my visits (all of them) next month...I'm very thankful to hear those reminders because it helps me to know the things I need to do, it gives me courage and strength. Whoever feels bad, then there is something more going on...they may be experience guilt coming from other sources than the Church itself. Maybe themselves feel they're not 'worthy' and they want to blame the leaders for what they think is a 'reminder' of how they really feel inside.

[quote]
What would someone who had been inactive for a year think coming to Sacrament the first time and being told that he is not worthy because he doesn't read the scriptures frequently enough. [/quote]

Now, I doubt that somebody will actually and directly say to a member that is not worthy because he doesn't read the scriptures enough. Did you hear somebody using the words that you stated here?

[quote] I have trouble with false spirituality, I believe it to be inherently wrong to display ourselfs for aggrandisement.... [/quote]

I have trouble with false spirituality too....but I do have a problem to with people who raises the hand to sustain our Church Leaders then are openly in disagreement with them when something does not fit them. They agree with the Prophet when something suits them but when something don't...then they disagree. This is a form of false spirituality too.

The Book of Mormon

I think it is appropriate to respond since in ou imply that I am offended when someone says they read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day because I don't, in fact I carry my scriptures with me throughout the day and read them frequently.  I have read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover many times, and I continue to read by topics and to study the gospel.  I just finished reading the following Books within the last month.

Spencer W. Kimball's Biography;
Joseph Fielding's Smith's Biography;
George Albert Smith's Biography;
Neal A. Maxwell's Biography;
Ezra Taft Benson's Biography;
Gordon B. Hinckley's Biography;
Howard W. Hunter's Biography;
J. Reuben Clark's Biography (The Political Years);
"Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley"
"The Acts of the Apostles"
"Justified by faith"
"Following Living Prophets"

And numerous other books about the Church, some endorsed by the Church and some not.  I have read the Book of Mormon at 8 times since joining the Church two years ago, read the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and the Old Testament once since joining, and the New Testament twice.  My defending members of the Church from other members does not imply in the least that I was offended because I haven't myself read the Book of Mormon.  There is such a thing as fake spirituality and it gets to me, if someone finds the need to get up and tell how great they are by reading the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day then I know it for what it is, self-aggrandisement.  

I don't find it necessary to get up in Church and tell others how many times I go to the Temple, how often I do my Home Teaching or how frequently I read the Book of Mormon.

I wonder where you get such ideas as "to a leader of the Church mentioning anyone going to hell for not reading the Book of Mormon 30 days"  I for one don't believe that the leaders of the Church would even comment on such a thing, and don't you think that what you said is a little extreme.

I don't need to intrepret, all I have to hear is the word inactive used in reference to another person because of the frequency of their activity in the Church to know that this is true for the Book of Mormon.  No one would dare get up in church and say that I don't read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day because they know that they will be judged.  The word inactive is used quite frequently to judge the members of the Church based on sacrament attendance, and while such words are used less when speaking about Book of Mormon reading (I all to often hear that the reason people are inactive is because they don't read the Book of Mormon and that only if they read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony then they wouldn't be inactive) that is because no "active" (like this is somehow a great thing) member would dare admit that he or she doesn't read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day and those who would admit this have already been labeled inactive by those with fake spirituality.

If you truly love your brothers and sisters you would not label them as inactive merely because they don't do what you do or as frequently as you do.  Think about it, it isn't a commandment to attend sacrament and yet such terms as inactive are used  and people who don't attend church are looked down on by those who want earthly glory and they get the mission of 'perfecting' them and bringing them back into the fold.  Maybe if they were the peoples friends instead of worrying so much about rather they were doing their Home Teaching once a month then people would find reason to come back to Church.  I am sure that there are many Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers who set an appointment up once a month (many wait until the end of the month and must rush to get their home teaching done so they can report 100% home teaching, hey you don't want the Elder's Quorum President to think lowly of you) and that is the only time they speak to their Home Teaching families.

I have not heard members directly say that you aren't worthy if you don't read the scriptures enough but I have heard a member of the Church say that the 'reason we do home teaching is so that we can have more sisters in the word'  No one has to come out and directly say that you are not worthy to your face because you don't read the scriptures.  There actions and words can speak to that, but then of course some members use the podium as a political forum where they announce that they 'received revelation' that the war in Iraq is just.  While I agree with them on this, that doesn't give them the right to get up and to use sacrament meeting to make a political action a moral issue.  The longer I am in the Church the more fortunate I am to learn that I am a member because I have a testimony but I can see why many people chose to leave the Church or to not attend.

I agree that "whoever feels bad, then there is something more going on...they may be experience guilt coming from other sources than the Church itself. Maybe themselves feel they're not 'worthy' and they want to blame the leaders for what they think is a 'reminder' of how they really feel inside." and yet you suggest that this is a bad thing, many missionaries can testify to the behavior of the members during sacrament and how it offends golden investigators.  People are all on different spiritual planes and therefore talks, and lessons should not be given a negative connotation.  When the reminder goes further then a reminder there is a problem.  It is quite easy to say that we should do our home teaching and another to get up and use members to coerce others into doing their home teaching, reading the Book of Mormon.  

I have trouble with false spirituality too....but I do have a problem to with people who raises the hand to sustain our Church Leaders then are openly in disagreement with them when something does not fit them. They agree with the Prophet when something suits them but when something don't...then they disagree. This is a form of false spirituality too.

"I have trouble with false spirituality too....but I do have a problem to with people who raises the hand to sustain our Church Leaders then are openly in disagreement with them when something does not fit them. They agree with the Prophet when something suits them but when something don't...then they disagree. This is a form of false spirituality too. "  Why don't you just come out and say it, you know you want to and guess what it won't change my testimony in the least but I am sure it effect many members negatively.  When I raise my hand to sustain the leaders of this Church I do so knowing that I will uphold their actions, do everything within my power to help them to the best of my ability, and when I sustain a teacher in Sunday School I uphold him and assist him by attending Sunday School.  So anyone who raises their hands, and sustains the leaders of the Church and who openly disagrees with them have false spirituality.  I don't agree in the least.  Someone who openly disagrees with the church is not partaking of false spirituality because at that point they aren't trying to deceive others into believing that they are spiritual.  The more people pontificate the more I think to myself what a waste of time.

Which is it, is it okay people to disagree with President Benson and not to read the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day only because it is an admonition or is it a commandment and necessary for them to be sustaining the leaders of the Church.  Your whole post derides those who don't do what you expect of them.  Your implication that I was somehow offended in the post smells of judgment.

The Book Mormon - Page 4

I really do not see the relevance of posting your last month's reading, is that self-glorifying that you are saying you dislike? Edward, you are posting quotes twice and going on very lengthy, what is your issue really? No one is judging you. Lighten up.

The Book Mormon Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 4

Edward said [quote]Your whole post derides those who don't do what you expect of them.[/quote] And yours doesn't?

[quote]The more people pontificate the more I think to myself what a waste of time. [/quote]

Words to live by, sir.

In my opinion.
Roz